


For Tonight, Let's Just Pretend

by flonkertons



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Minor Nathan Miller/Bryan, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 05:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7964059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flonkertons/pseuds/flonkertons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being on a variety show where she pretends she has a crush on Bellamy while pretending she's not nursing an actual crush on Bellamy isn't exactly Clarke's best idea, but she can totally handle it. She's an actor. It's <i>fine</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For Tonight, Let's Just Pretend

**Author's Note:**

> Over the summer, I watched a lot of Running Man, which is a Korean variety show that essentially has a group of entertainers that compete in "missions" around South Korea. You don't need to know anything about it but if you want to, you should check it out! It's hilarious and fun! Anyways, I was watching a lot of it and I was like, okay, fine, I guess I need to write something about this. So if you're familiar with Running Man, I see Bellamy as a KJK and YJS type, Clarke is SJH, and they are the equivalent of the Monday Couple. If you're not, don't worry! I really just take the name.
> 
> THANKS A MILLION TO CRYSTAL WHO READ OVER HALF OF THIS AND REASSURED A PANICKING ME THAT IT WASN'T TERRIBLE

It started out as her mom's idea, after some "research" had concluded that Clarke wasn't very approachable, wasn't someone who could make friends easily, was too standoffish and quiet. Her mom didn't think this was a good sign for her career, not if she wanted to aim for longevity (which she wasn't even sure she wanted to do), so she needed to rehabilitate her image.

The solution was a guest appearance on an upcoming episode of an increasingly popular variety show called  _Running Man_. She had never seen it, had never _heard_ of it, but three weeks later, she was supposed to be on it. Despite her reservations (and belief that she wasn't in need of any change in image), she agreed because at 21 and with only two seasons of her show under her belt, Clarke still thought having her mother as her manager was a good idea, which meant she needed to trust her. She'd heard the horror stories, all the warnings against it, but hubris was a bitch. They could _definitely_ keep personal and professional matters separate.

She ended up being a hit on _Running Man_ and Abby was proven right about her idea. For once, Clarke didn't mind that she had been right.

***

"Hey," came a familiar voice behind her, and if it wasn't because she could pick his voice out of a crowd (there was a reason he'd won that meaningless E! poll for Best Voice), the way her heartbeat had picked up would've let her know that it was Bellamy. "I heard you were here already."

She turned around and tried to contain her smile to something that was more appropriate to seeing a friendly face rather than give away her probably super obvious crush on him. "Hi," she said before he scooped her up into a hug, his arms warm and strong around her. She laughed into his neck and hugged him back, taking the opportunity to stay in his arms until he let her go. It took a while and she didn't complain.

"I guess you missed me," she joked after they stopped hugging, which was way better than blurting out how much she had missed him. With their busy schedules, the last time she had actually been able to hang out with him was a few months ago, at Miller and Bryan's engagement party, and she left early because she had to film in the morning.

Bellamy grinned. "It's been a while! You haven't been on the show since... last year?"

"Yeah, the Thanksgiving two-parter," she confirmed. If it was up to her, Clarke would have done more, but the past year had been extra busy with her show and her first film (a film that hadn't done that well, which suited her fine, and made her realize she would probably stick with TV for the foreseeable future) and there wasn't enough time to do more than three episodes of _Running Man_. When she had started out, it had been a one episode gig, but suddenly, she was well-liked during her episode, and viewers liked her dynamic with the other members, but especially with Bellamy.

It was funny because the bickering between them in the show had been influenced by their first meeting – a Disastrous one, let's leave it at that – and somehow, it translated into something people loved to see. That, and the reluctant partnership that developed through the episode, and, according to a disgruntled Abby Griffin, their natural chemistry. The _Running Man_ producers wanted her back for more, so she came back.

"Basically forever." He sat down on the couch in the dressing room and looked up at her. Clarke took the opportunity to look at him fully, happy and unhappy to see that he had gotten hotter, even discounting the advantage of his curls, which were tousled in the way only hair and makeup could achieve. It was a bad idea to look at him. She sat down. "How's it been? Have you become too famous for us yet?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, definitely, that midseason premiere date _and_ reduced episode order was a good sign I'm moving onto bigger and better things." But she didn't want to talk about that since it stressed her out too much and she didn't want it to be in a bad mood today. Bellamy seemed to sense it, his face shifting from easy humor to patented concern immediately.

"What's up?"

"It's nothing," she waved off, flashing a smile at him that was almost half-sincere. "Just work stuff, I don't really wanna talk about it."

He didn't press her on it, even though she knew he wanted to talk about it, if not just to make her feel better. That was who Bellamy was, always needing to worry about someone, even if no one wanted to be worried about in the first place. It was why she liked him and also why she never let herself think he might like her back. Bellamy worried about everything, cared about everyone. Clarke wasn't naive enough to think that she stood out for him.

That was another thing she didn't want to think about.

Clarke drew her legs up and shifted on the couch so she was facing him. "Okay. Tell me about this episode. How many bad time travel jokes am I going to have to endure?"

"Three, but that's just the ones that are scripted. Jasper's goal is to throw in as many as he can."

"I hate him."

"You're going to hurt his feelings."

"Tough shit."

He laughed at that, shaking his head. "There's also a bit in the introductions where we banter about when we last saw each other –"

"Miller and Bryan's party."

"Right. We tease them about how in love they are, Miller teases us about our whole..." Bellamy always dawdled about this, hesitating to name it for what it was. In all fairness, it was hard to describe in one word. Once, she described it as 'fake pretend will they-won't they maybe-maybe not' relationship – for ratings. It was always for ratings. Their played-up will they-won't they was a major reason why the show loved her.

She didn't mind, not that much.

"Thing," she offered and he took it with gratitude.

"And we flirt a little before the mission start."

She nodded, taking the information in. It was standard operating procedure at this point. Clarke remembered the first time they had done this, after being called into a production meeting she had been scared shitless of, after being told that Twitter had loved her and Bellamy's dynamic, dubbing them the "Thursday couple" because of the days her episodes fell on, and that they were going to use that in the future. It had really happened so fast. Still, her heart beat a little faster and her fingers tingled. "I hope you're better at flirting than last time," she said, quirking an eyebrow at him in what she hoped was an easygoing, totally cool and not at all affected by him way.

He scoffed defensively. "It was a Thanksgiving special! You can't be expected to flirt well on Thanksgiving."

"All I'm hearing are excuses."

"Fine. Challenge accepted." Bellamy glared at her, with no intent behind it, and they collapsed into laughter a second later.

***

To clarify, she had the crush first.

Then again, so did most people her age who had grown up watching Bellamy Blake, Teen Heartthrob, flash his smile on every teen show that needed a surly, but charming love interest. She just never expected to actually _meet_ him.

But she did, that day she filmed her first _Running Man_ episode, meeting all the cast members about an hour before they were set to start – Raven, who she knew already because her boyfriend had simultaneously been Clarke's boyfriend (a designation that quickly turned into _ex_ when they found out); Jasper, who was too excitable for 8 AM; Monroe, who she was intimidated by right away; Miller, who professed to be a big fan of her show; Bellamy, who she accidentally drew into a fight five minutes later.

She had had the distant crush on him for so long that it was pretty remarkable how quickly it faded as soon as she had met him. Maybe that was why people warned against meeting the celebrities you loved.

But for all the bad experiences she had with Bellamy that day, she was a hit on set and she was a hit in the episode, turning the shy, aloof thing into what it really was, friendly, competitive, awkward. Variety was never an interest before, but it turned out she wasn't so bad at it. She had actually had _fun_. It was the first thing she said to her mom when she asked how it was. _It was a lot of fun_ , and she meant it.

A few months later, the producers asked her back, paired her with Bellamy, realized they had great chemistry on screen, and encouraged them to play up and into a flirtation-slash-possible-feelings situation.

It worked out. For one thing, Bellamy belonged in variety, with his charm, leadership, and competitive nature, and it was a boost to her ego to be compared to him. For another, it was a job that lasted two days at the most every few months, depending on when she could guest star, and they could do that easy. Besides, they liked the flirting, even with the random scripted segments, or at least, _she_ liked the flirting; at the very least, Clarke didn't think he minded.

They became friends after that, hanging out in dressing rooms and between games, then outside of work.

The crush, she was sad to report, came back in a bigger way, made worse because now she knew who he was, knew things about him that he had confided in her, knew what he was like, how he treated people, how supportive he was, how funny and easy to talk to he was, how casually tactile he was with her. It was honestly awful.

So now she had to pretend to be interested in a guy that she actually _was_ interested in, while pretending it was just for the show at the same time she wished it was real for him too.

On some days, it was even more work than her actual job.

***

Raven nearly tackled her once filming ended and she staggered under the unexpected weight before she found her footing. "I _know_ I saw you just a minute ago," she said, a huge smile on her face. Raven smacked her arm lightly.

"Yeah, but you didn't come say hi to me beforehand! What the hell, Griffin!"

"I was busy," Clarke said defensively. "I was running late already and then I had to get to hair and makeup and then Bellamy stopped by –"

There was a dangerous smirk on Raven's face as she crossed her arms smugly. Could someone smugly cross their arms? If not, Raven Reyes had just achieved it. "You should've started with that."

Clarke knew there was no way around it, not after three (3) drunken ramblings about Bellamy's eyelashes, sense of humor, and arms, respectively, witnessed and notarized by Raven. But she attempted the innocent act anyways. She was an actress, it was instinctual. "Started with what? I think Cindy in hair and makeup hates me."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"I'm being serious and actually a little worried, what if –"

A voice crept up behind her. "What are you worried about?" She shrieked at the interruption, turning around to find Monty, who was a _Running Man_ writer and one of her closest friends on the set, with a curious look on his face.

"Just this heart attack I just suffered," she grumbled, while Raven tugged at Monty's arm, dragging him to her side.

"It's one of those days Clarke's pretending she doesn't have the biggest c-r-u-s-h on B-e–"

Panicking, she waved her hands in front of Raven's face to distract her from spelling out Bellamy's name. A furtive look around the room told her that he wasn't around, but she still couldn't chance it. Someone else could hear and tell him. It was bad enough that both Raven and Monty knew already. "We're in _public_ ," she hissed, to the unrestrained amusement of her friends.

"Oh, Clarke," Monty said, in the same way that someone would to a cute kid. "It's already like the worst kept secret."

Be that as it may, "He doesn't know though and I want to keep it that way, okay?"

Two spectacular, synchronized eye rolls later, they headed back to the dressing rooms. She was always sad when she was wrapping up a day on the _Running Man_ set; it always felt more welcoming and comforting to her than her show's, despite being four seasons into it. She knew the crew members, had even gone to some of their birthday parties, and obviously, there was the cast, who she was all friends with. The atmosphere was better. On her show, it felt more like a job. It was stupid, she knew, because it was a job, but for some reason, it never felt like work here.

"You guys should just date," Raven proclaimed, very loudly, so that some of the passersby stopped walking and looked at them. Clarke waved awkwardly until they started moving again, averting that potential crisis.

"You're giving me a headache," she said petulantly as she crossed her arms.

"That's our line," Monty piped in. "For the record, I agree with Raven. Obviously."

"I know you do," Clarke sighed, resigned to this topic. "But you know my reasons _and_ even if he _did_ like me –" Monty and Raven shared a look that she ignored, "–I'm not dating another co-worker again."

It sounded like an excuse, but she was also just bad at relationships in general. The Finn thing was obvious, but there was her short-lived relationship with Lexa, a former assistant producer on her show, which had gone up in flames as dramatically as it could (but when your girlfriend intentionally blocked your chance to become a regular cast member and she wasn't even _sorry_ about it, the breakup necessitated dramatics). She had tried dating again a few months after that, but no one had lasted long. And she was still hung up on Bellamy.

"That was just because Lexa was a –" Clarke raised an eyebrow at Monty, "– really great person who just wasn't meant for you?"

"She was awful and no one knows what you were thinking with her," Raven translated. Had it been a year ago, she would've defended her, despite what Lexa had done, but now, she had come to agree. Still, no matter how much she agreed, it hurt to be reminded of that.

A little sullenly as she crossed into her dressing room, she muttered, "Thanks, guys." The room was packed up, with just her things left where she'd dropped them that morning. Her bag, her change of clothes, her phone. Clarke sat down in front of the mirror and started taking her hair out of the fancy twist ponytail Cindy had tossed it in – why she needed that for a competition that involved multiple stages of scrambling through mud was beyond her but she didn't argue with hair and makeup.

"Hey," Raven said softly, appearing next to her. In the mirror, she could see that she felt guilty about it. At least there was that. "We didn't mean it."

"You did," she said back testily. That wasn't the problem, not really. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. I like Bellamy, but that's all it's going to be. Okay?"

The room went quiet, an awkward tension settling in. Then, Monty came up next to her. "We're sorry. We'll stop, all right?"

She looked up, caught their eyes in the mirror, smiled after making them worry for a second. " _If_ anything happens between us, I promise you get to say _I told you so_."

Raven smirked and Monty looked relieved. "Deal," the former said.

***

Bellamy was waiting in the lobby, kicking off from the pillar he was leaning against to fall in step alongside her. She only _just_ managed to not trip.

"Finally," he said.

Clarke gave him a confused look, brushing the hair away from her eyes. "I thought you left a while ago."

"Still here."

"As I can see." She paused, testing something out. "Were you waiting for me?" There was a flutter in her stomach.

Uncharacteristically, he stumbled over his words. "It's… it's late," he coughed, "You shouldn't be alone."

Clarke rolled her eyes, but bit back a smile. He'd _waited_ for her.

"So a little birdy told me you're heading to Toronto later this week," she said as they made their way towards the parking garage. The studio had cleared out by now, leaving them as two of the last few stragglers.

"Oh, yeah, don't remind me," he groaned.

"What? Why not?"

" _Canada_." A long-suffering sigh signaled that she was supposed to commiserate with him. She did, because _Canada_ , but she pat his shoulder instead.

"I'm sure you'll survive. Eat some poutine for me."

"I'll see what I can do. When do you start filming again?"

"Tuesday." After the two week break, she was ready to finish the last two episodes, mostly because it would give her something to do. She wasn't looking forward to returning to set and hadn't felt the same excitement she had felt when she started out, with the new anticipation and thrill of getting her first _actual_ acting job, playing the sister of the main character, for a while now. After four years, she felt stalled, even after she finally earned a regular spot despite the Lexa Disaster, felt uninspired in her work, like she was phoning it in every time.

At some point, Clarke realized that she was closer with the cast of a show she guested on a few days out of the year than the cast she worked with eight months of the year.

"You sound so excited."

"Shut up," she said without heat. "I'm just tired! And it's been a long season!"

Bellamy tugged on her hastily done ponytail and she glared at him. It was annoying how good he looked even after a long day. "It's fine, I get it. Like it's a crime to not be excited about work."

It felt like it sometimes, the way people would talk about acting as a _lifelong passion_ and a _craft_ and all sorts of things that made Clarke queasy. She was a pre-med student before she "got her big break." (A commercial, the led to another commercial, that led to a few more, before she auditioned for a pilot about a time-traveling doctor called _Dr. Pyle_.) She was lucky, but she wasn't sure about it. There was a healthy amount of guilt in it that drove her to work harder. It was very complicated and she hated to dwell on it.

"Yeah. But…"

"Wanna talk about it?" Bellamy had a look on him, a piercing stare that always saw right through her, always made her feel like she could talk to him about anything. She knew she could, but she was exhausted all of a sudden, wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed and fall asleep, maybe dream about Bellamy, maybe take him home with her. She didn't really want to _talk_.

They were at her car now. Although she unlocked it, she didn't make any move to get inside. "You don't have to worry about me all the time."

He smiled a half-smile, a little sheepish. "It's like second nature."

"I know. I like that about you."

He scrutinized her for a moment, and it was unnerving because she couldn't read what his expression meant. So she hastily interrupted him. "Seriously, I'm fine. Thanks for walking with me." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, resisting the urge to twirl it like she was fourteen and crushing on Lily Anderson.

"It's very dark out here," he said, and they laughed, surrounded by the night breeze and the lights in the garage. The conversation was dwindling down, she knew, so she got in her car. "Clarke," he said a few minutes later.

She looked up, her hand hovering over the ignition.

Bellamy hesitated, started, then stopped. "Do– ah, I –"

"Try that again?" She adopted a teasing tone, put on a teasing smile.

"Uh. Drive safe. Okay?"

She deflated a little. Not that she had been expecting anything but – maybe she had. She needed to get out of that mindset. Squaring her shoulders and stretching her smile into a bigger one, Clarke turned the ignition on and waved him away from the door. He stepped back, one hand on the back of his neck.

In her rearview mirror, she saw Bellamy stay there as she drove off, his figure becoming a blurry dot a moment later.

***

It was halfway through the first week back, while they were filming their second to last episode of the season, that her mom told her the news.

"They're canceling the show," Abby delivered abruptly, the concise statement dropping from her mouth like it was the weather. "But I'm reading scripts for new pilots and making arrangements, so you'll be fine."

Clarke nodded. It was probably the wrong reaction, but she found that she didn't really have one. Abby left as quickly as she had arrived, with a squeeze of her hand and a promise to call if anything came up, so she was left alone in her apartment, sitting on the coffee table and staring at the wall.

Truthfully, it was inevitable. Everyone seemed surprised they had made it past two seasons, since the consensus was that a show about a time traveling doctor could only lend so much material. Time travel, sure, but time travel and _medical procedural_? Nope. Four seasons seemed safe enough, until they were told they were being held back for mid season and their original 22 episode order was reduced to 16. But the showrunner, Titus, was quick to tell them not to worry. Combined with their steadily declining ratings the previous season, it couldn't be a shock to anyone.

Rather than dwell on the news, she decided that she needed to figure out where to go from here. She was good at that, thinking ahead. It was totally okay. She had an afternoon call time tomorrow so she didn't have to deal with that yet. And she _had_ just been saying that she was losing interest in it, she _was_ getting bored with her storylines (or lack thereof), and it could be a good chance to look for other roles, better ones. She picked up her phone.

She could say that she called Bellamy first, without a second thought, because Raven was in Spain and Monty was visiting his family, but Clarke couldn't say that. It wasn't why. She called Bellamy first because she only wanted to talk to him.

It took three rings for him to answer and she relaxed immediately hearing his voice "Hey, what's up?"

"Are you busy?"

"I'm at O's hockey game and it's not going to start for a while. Why?"

She made an impulsive decision. "Can I come?"

There was amusement in his voice. "You like hockey?"

"Huge fan," she deadpanned. "You don't have to say yes. I just… if you weren't busy, I wanted to talk to someone."

"I'll text you the place."

***

There was a part of her that was worried she was imposing, because she _had_ basically invited herself to his sister's hockey game and maybe she shouldn't have done that, given that she wasn't actually a fan of hockey and it was pretty rude to intrude like that, especially since she knew Bellamy and his sister weren't getting along that much lately, so she was probably going to make things awkward.

But Bellamy met her at the door to the university's ice rink with a big smile. There were other students going in and out, carrying drinks and talking to their friends, but he waved her over and she pushed down that worry. She couldn't help but smile too.

"You're in luck, I had an empty seat next to me," he said by way of greeting, maneuvering her in front of him with a hand on the small of her back and leading her towards the seats.

A few people jostled them as they made their way through, walking up the steps until Bellamy gestured to a set of seats. "You didn't have to scare them away," she said.

"I'm too intimidating for everyone. Did I know you liked hockey?"

"I don't. Did I know you did?" Bellamy shrugged.

"Turns out hockey is better for Octavia's aggression problems than tennis."

"I can't imagine anyone solving any problems _with_ tennis, so that makes sense."

Last minute stragglers started filling the rest of the seats, claiming the ones next to them. Someone elbowed her and apologized. Bellamy frowned. "Sorry, I forgot that it gets a bit intense here. The team's actually pretty good, I guess, so the school goes a bit crazy for them."

"Is Octavia the star player?" She peered over the heads of the people in front of them, trying to catch a glimpse of the dark hair that belonged to his sister.

"She's getting here," he said, evidently and unmistakably proud of her. She resisted the urge to say something negative, because while Clarke had only met her a few times, not enough to say that they were friends, Bellamy talked about her enough that she felt like she knew her. They fought every other week, usually over some impulsive decision Octavia had decided to make that week, and maybe she was biased, maybe she only had it from Bellamy's perspective – although, he was always careful to paint her in a positive light, something she was pretty sure he didn't even know he did constantly – but she couldn't help but stack Bellamy's years of raising her, putting his life on hold, making sure she was cared for and loved, against Octavia's demands of getting her way in whatever she wanted. In any case, she kept her opinions to herself, and she left them alone. If Bellamy was more relaxed now, then it was a non-fight week. "I haven't been able to make it to a lot of her games, but this one worked out perfectly with scheduling."

"World's best brother," she teased, knocking her shoulder against his, and he snorted self-deprecatingly. She was about to continue before the buzzer signaling the start of the game rang out, startling her all of a sudden. Like a practiced routine, everyone seemed to stop their conversations for a moment and turned their heads toward the rink. Bellamy nudged her with his hand, holding out a bag of Skittles.

"Want some?"

"You're willing to give up your Skittles?"

"If you save me the yellow ones, yes."

"You're so lucky that no one in the world but _you_ likes those," she said with a shake of her head, but she opened the packet and passed him the first yellow one she saw. The game actually started then and it was hard to follow, because she didn't know any of the players, save one, and honestly, didn't really care about hockey in a way that she _wanted_ to follow it. But Bellamy was cheering every time the puck got near Octavia and it was fun to watch him have fun, and fun to join in on the yelling, that she nearly forgot why she had come here.

At halftime, Bellamy returned with drinks and a question. "Okay, so, I seem to remember you said you wanted to talk?" He had the look in his eye, the inquisitive, concerned one, the _I'm here for you_ one, that was one of the reasons why she liked him so much. Another thing she didn't want a reminder of.

Clarke was self-conscious all of a sudden. It wasn't exactly _normal_ to call your crush up and crash his sister's hockey game just because she didn't know how to handle the fact that her television show had just been canceled. She didn't want to explain it like that.

A chirpy, excited voice cut her off before she could say anything, calling Bellamy's name. "Hi! Oh my god, are you – you're actually Bellamy Blake, right?" It was a girl, probably twenty, with two friends, who looked more nervous but still giddy at the fact that a celebrity was in front of them.

He looked at Clarke for a brief second, apologetic, but she nodded to let him know she didn't mind. He took a few selfies with them, signed their tickets, and even gave one of them a hug. She stifled her laughter the whole time because Bellamy looked so embarrassed by the attention, throwing her slightly wide-eyed panicked looks every so often. The girls whispered loudly and happily as they went back to their seats, but the commotion had triggered a group of waiting students, who, in all honesty, just wanted to tweet that they had seen a celebrity. Twice, she got asked for a selfie, and once, it was actually because the girl was a fan of her show.

Bellamy ran a hand through his hair after they all left. "I didn't know that was going to happen."

"Wait," she said with a mock gasp, "Bellamy Blake? _The_ Bellamy Blake? Can I have your autograph?"

"I've told you you're not funny, right?"

"Just once or twice."

"I stand by it. So, back to your thing." Of course he remembered.

Clarke sighed again and took the last sip of the Coke. "So –" The buzzer started again. "I'll tell you after the game."

He nodded, sending a frustrated look at the scoreboard (where the Arkers were leading 1-0) and presumably where the buzzer was located. "We can step outside."

"No, no it's just – about work. C'mon," she pulled his arm down from where he was pointing towards the exit, "Octavia hasn't scored yet."

She pointedly ignored the concerned looked Bellamy cast at her the rest of the game.

***

Octavia stormed out of the locker room, struggling to pull her coat on, and walked right past where they were waiting for her.

"O! O!" Bellamy called, catching up to her as she whirled around angrily at the sound of her name. Clarke hung back by the entrance, because she didn't really know what to do with an angry Octavia, and she would have to be angry after the comeback victory the other team had wrestled away. There would probably be a lot of yelling, and she did _not_ want to be involved in that.

It didn't take long. " _What_ ," Octavia snarled, glaring up at him.

He faltered, the happy expression on his face falling just slightly. "I... thought maybe you wanted to go out to eat somewhere or –"

"No thanks."

"We can go to that place you like, the one with the ridiculous –"

"I don't _want_ to, Bellamy! Can you just leave me alone for at least an _hour_? God!" Octavia stomped off this time, a loud huff of frustration following her, and left Bellamy standing there, watching her leave. Clarke had been fake-absorbed in fake texting during the entire exchange, but she didn't know what to do now. Was she supposed to go up to him and pretend she hadn't been a witness to the fight? Make a joke?

The tension in the empty ice rink was so loud she could almost see it. Hesitantly, she walked up next to him. "Are you talking about that place with the made-up language?"

"What?" He was distracted, but trying to collect himself, to shake it off. He cleared his throat and looked at her. If she didn't know him like she had come to, she would buy that he wasn't affected by it. But there was the pull of his mouth, the leftover crease in his forehead, the brief blankness in his eyes. "Oh. Yeah. What do they call it again?"

She snorted. "Tree something? It's weird. I left a bad review on Yelp once. I mean, they had bad service too."

"You know I'm going to look for it now." Bellamy cracked a smile and then rubbed the back of his neck. "She was a lot worse as a teenager."

"Shocking, because teenagers are usually great." He rolled his eyes. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," he said immediately, but his quick jaw clench belied that.

"Okay," she said. She would try the subject later; Bellamy tended to stew on the Octavia subject for a bit before he was willing to talk about it. "Do you want to get something to eat? I feel really bad because I just intruded like that today."

"I _invited_ you, Clarke."

"Because I demanded!" He was gearing up for an argument, but she didn't feel up for it. "Food?"

"Not that restaurant?"

"God, no."

***

 

 **@serena_ryland07** : wtf the only time i don't go to the game, lucy gets to meet BELLAMY BLAKE????

 **@lucymertzzz** : @serena_ryland07 hahahahahahahahahahahah sux2suck

 **@lucymertzzz** : @bellamyblake So nice to meet you!! ❤❤❤ <http://pic.twitter.com/mUbay2n67PN>

**@elliehems** : Me & @cgriffin are basically bffs now <https://www.instagram.com/p/BI_s71FgM2y/?taken-by=elisahemings>

**@RMUSAUpdates** : Bellamy with Clarke Griffin at Ark University hockey game #1-4 - 02/06/16

 **@wtfniall** : @RMUSAUpdates together??????

 **@jaureguiduns** : @RMUSAUpdates that doesn't look like her hair tho

 **@bellamysarms** : @RMUSAUpdates keep it

 **@real_vi_let** : @RMUSAUpdates you could at least credit me lmao

 

***

"So now I'm out of a job."

"Shit."

"That about sums it up." She followed it up with a bite of her burger, which was a little cold now, having sat there unfinished while she had finally told Bellamy about the day's events. After waiting for so long, it felt like she had built it up over nothing, but letting it out did help a little. Or maybe that was the way Bellamy's attention was focused on her. A little bit of both.

"Now what?" It was a very simple question, with no demand attached to it. Her mom would've said _now what_ and required an immediate solution. Bellamy said _now what_ and meant _let's bounce off some ideas_.

"I kinda want to get drunk?"

He waved the waiter back to their table. "Can we have the bill please?" When he left, Bellamy tilted his head at her. She willed herself not to flush under his gaze. "Okay. Bryan's place it is."

***

Bryan's place was a bar that had been passed down in his family for decades. It was where he'd met Miller, when he was a bartender and actively auditioning for pilots at the same, and after they started dating, Bryan's place became a regular spot for everyone. After an embarrassing first meeting (she accidentally mistook him for Bellamy – they looked like twins from the side – and kicked the back of his knees, which led to a round of apologies throughout the night), Clarke was very fond of him and thought he was great for Miller too.

Bryan wasn't there, but they still sat in their booth anyways.

An hour later, her head was resting against the table, face turned towards Bellamy, who looked amused as he raised his eyebrows at her. She knew that she shouldn't be sleepy because it was, at the latest, 4 PM, but she was, and the table was comfortable, and she had never been good with alcohol.

"Do you think I could hack it in med school?"

"You could hack it in anything, Clarke. Are you not getting scripts? You have to be, you were pulling in good numbers."

The knowledge that Bellamy kept up with her show like that was incredibly flattering and embarrassing all at once. Her face heated up, but she blamed it on the drinks. "My mom's fielding stuff but…" She struggled for a moment to figure out what to say. "I don't know if I want to keep doing that."

"Acting?"

"Yeah. Is it, I don't know –" she met his eyes, searching for an answer in them. "Ungrateful or something?"

He considered her. "What are you fishing for?"

She laughed a little, cringing that he figured it out so quickly. "Just for you to tell me the truth."

"The truth is, I don't know what the answer is."

"You're always supposed to know. You've done this forever." She was fourteen when she saw him on TV, in a then-known-as ABC Family adaptation of a YA book series and she knew she had to marry him that day. She would still marry him now, but for different reasons. More valid ones, although he still had a nice smile and perfect hair.

"I don't think I've learned anything more than I did when I was 18. Actually, I think if I hadn't had Octavia around, I would've been one of those awful child stars." He cocked his head at her. "I didn't actually like acting that much." She knew this; it was one of the reasons she felt comfortable talking about it, why she wanted him to give her an answer to her problems. "But I could bring Octavia around and I was getting cast in enough things that I could provide for her, so I couldn't really complain. And then she grew up, was going to college, and I just thought, this isn't really something I want to do for the rest of my life. I felt like shit when I stopped doing TV. I thought I was biting the hand that fed me, and it took me a while to figure out that I needed that break. I wanted to go to school and actually _see_ O, not just run around and be her pseudo-brother-parent."

He had a way with words, with telling a story that enthralled people, and it showed here, because she wanted to just sit here and listen to him talk forever. Hair fell in front of her eyes and she bat it away in annoyance. He was amused by that.

"Do you know why I decided to do _Running Man_?"

Automatically, she answered, "You're made for it." She couldn't beat around the bush and it was hardly a false statement. People loved him on the show.

Bellamy ducked his head but she saw the sheepish smile, although it was gone when he looked back up. "I'm definitely not. It was because I thought it'd be fun. And I wanted to have fun finally."

"I'm fun," she said, blurting it out like it followed the conversation.

There was a look on his face, a soft one, but otherwise unreadable, as he said, "I know you are." He was totally lying. She scrunched her nose at him.

"Was the moral of the story do what's fun?"

" _No_. It was… honestly, there wasn't one. Thanks for letting me ramble about myself, I guess."

"Anytime." Her neck was aching now, from the way she was laying her head on the table, but when she tried to change position, ease the crick out of it, she slipped a little and banged her head against the wood. Or, she would've, if Bellamy's hand hadn't come between them, pressed against her forehead, warm against her forehead.

He was going to think she had a fever with the way she was heating up. All he'd done was put his _hand_ on her _forehead_. It was time to stop drinking, she decided, reaching for the glass of water that was also on the table. She downed half of it.

As if on cue, a waitress came up to their booth. "More water?" Clarke projected the judging in that question. She _knew_ it was only 3 in the afternoon, okay?

She stubbornly shook her head. "Actually, can we close our tab?" The waitress nodded and left.

"Already?" Bellamy said, lifting an eyebrow at her.

"I think I've monopolized enough of your time today."

"Clarke, for the last –"

"I'm kidding! But I bet you want to check in on your sister."

Disappointment flashed across his face and she felt bad for bringing the subject back up. But they had never minced words around each other, so she didn't feel too bad. "I'll just leave her alone for today."

"She should apologize to you," she said emphatically. She wouldn't get involved if the Blakes had been in front of her, but since it was just Bellamy, he should at least know that it wasn't his fault.

"It's not a big deal," he said, resigned, looking around as if it would make the waitress come back faster.

"She was out of line and you know it."

"It doesn't matter." There was an edge to his voice now. "I'm over it and it's none of your business."

"I know, but –"

"Here you go! Thank you so much!" The waitress was bright and cheery and didn't sense that they were about to get into a fight, but her appearance diffused the tension and without knowing it, both of them relaxed. Clarke dropped her shoulders and met his eyes. He mouthed _sorry_ and she said _me too_.

They reached for their wallets at the same time, and Bellamy had his out, but Clarke beat him to the bill. "My treat."

Bellamy had his mouth open, ready to dispute it, but she sent him a glare and tugged the bill closer. She was ordering an Uber when she heard his small snort of laughter. Looking up, she saw that he was looking at a slip of paper in his hand.

"What's that?"

"Oh, uh." He shook his head, laughed again. "Here." He slid it over to her. It was a receipt from a _Smoke's Poutinerie_ and she was confused for a second until a recognition sparked and she remembered when she had told him _Eat some poutine for me_. Apparently, he had.

"You actually saved this?" She felt the familiar flutter in her stomach and tried really, really hard to contain her smile. She was going to like him forever.

There was no mistaking the blush on his cheeks. It made her smile more. "It's like a souvenir."

"You actually saved this."

"You don't have to keep it," he said in a rush, reaching forward for it, but she held onto it, pressing it to her chest.

"No, I definitely am. I love souvenirs." She almost sighed dreamily. "Wait…" Bellamy raised an eyebrow. She fluttered her eyelashes at him, exaggerating. "Are you Bellamy Blake? Can I have an autograph, please?"

He had a look on his face, undecipherable, before he leaned back and crossed his arms. "I hate you so much."

"Is that a no on the autograph?"

"Give it here."

***

"I don't know why you had to come," she muttered in between halfway false smiles at the other employees wandering the halls of Arkadia Broadcasting Studios.

"They asked for your manager, Clarke, which I believe I still am," her mom answered tersely, picking up the pace, which only made Clarke try to outpace her.

"Yeah, but I don't know why you had to come _now_ when you've never had to come before." It wasn't that she had been waiting for a call from _Running Man_ , but after reading through scores of boring scripts these past few months, it was almost a relief to get that call from the producers.

"I guess that's something you'll have to ask them, isn't it?" Like a true adult, she made a face behind her back, breaking into a sweet smile when she turned back around with the door open for her.

"After you," Clarke insisted, waving her arm to let Abby, who had a wary look on her face, go first.

Callie wasn't one to keep anyone waiting, so it was a relief to not have to endure any small talk once they stepped into her office. She met them by the door with a bright smile, shaking Abby's hand first and giving Clarke a hug. As the executive producer of _Running Man_ , she had faced a lot of criticism when she proposed the idea, and it had been a big risk, knowing that variety shows had a habit of landing on their faces, but it had been five years now and people still couldn't stop talking about it.

"Thank you for meeting me today. I don't want to keep you long, as I'm sure you're busy, so I'll get right to it." This was a lot of fuss to make for another guest appearance, since that usually just entailed a call asking if she would be free for an upcoming episode. Clarke tried not to worry about it, but it must've shown on her face because Callie immediately reassured her otherwise. "No, it's nothing bad! We love having you on the show and you're a big hit –" She flushed under the compliment. "And with Monroe leaving, we were wondering if you would like to be a member of the cast."

She blinked, unsure of what had just happened.

Her mom thought the same. "As a permanent member? You're offering her a regular spot?"

"We start with six month contracts, and after that, we can discuss and negotiate more long-term arrangements," Callie said, digging through a stack of folders to slide one towards them. Clarke took it and opened it up, eyes scanning the first page.

She had never _thought_ about becoming a regular member, not seriously, not when they already had a full roster, and she was busy with her show – but now she _was_ thinking about it, and it was almost exciting, the prospect of becoming part of the team, of working with everyone and seeing everyone, and, especially, it had to be said, because she couldn't avoid thinking it, seeing Bellamy.

But it was a big decision and Clarke didn't want to make it on the spot, with thoughts of Bellamy filtering through. Just because he was _a_ factor didn't mean he was the _only_ factor involved. She had scripts at home and auditions lined up and other projects she was looking at.

She wanted to do it, though.

"Can I get back to you about this?" She asked, biting her lip. Abby looked relieved that she hadn't given an actual answer to the offer.

"Of course," Callie answered easily. "How does a week sound?"

"Great."

***

It didn't take a genius to figure out Abby was Team No to Running Man. In the lobby, she was flipping through the contract, scrutinizing it for every little detail and possible loophole that she could find to object. Clarke knew that her mom wanted her to explore another pilot, or maybe even that "film franchise that wants you as the love interest," because that would establish her name more. She knew that _Running Man_ had always grated on her; it was supposed to be a one-or-two time appearance, just to establish her new image; it was never supposed to turn into a thing where she made recurring visits, got involved in a fake loveline, and actually _preferred_ it to her actual show.

Abby muttered to herself while Clarke tried to think. What she kept coming back to was, _I thought it'd be fun. And I wanted to have fun finally_.

"This isn't something you want to accept, is it?"

"Maybe it is."

"It's the wrong move for your career, Clarke. Your audition for the ABC pilot is really promising –"

"I could still do that. I can still audition for things too."

"You'll be busy with the show instead –"

"Raven goes to school when they're not filming, Miller helps manage his fiance's bar, Jasper is working with Monty on a new project too, and you know Bellamy does three hundred shows at once too," she protested. Abby's eyes narrowed at her.

"You're going to accept it because you want to work with your friends."

She scowled. "It's not just because of that. I think it'll be good. I need a break, it's something I love, with people I love. And if I want to look at the other scripts, I still can."

Abby sighed, but it was the kind of sigh that signaled she was giving in. "If you knew your decision already, why did you need the week?"

With a shrug, "I could still change my mind." It didn't seem likely, though.

"God willing," Abby muttered, to which Clarke rolled her eyes.

"Can we go now?"

"I need to make a few calls first."

"You can't do that at home?"

"Not if you're serious about this decision." Her raised eyebrows were a challenge, a provocation for her to take it back, as if that was all that was necessary.

Sighing loudly, she slumped back in the chair, leaning her head back against the wall and closing her eyes. "Then I'm going to take a nap."

Her mom was already on the phone, speaking in her official Business voice. Clarke wasn't really going to go to sleep, but she did take the time to figure out what she was going to do. She was probably, 99%, going to accept the offer. She needed to tell Raven about it. And Bellamy. She wanted to know if they knew beforehand, what they thought of it. If they did know, then they were keeping it a secret because she had been texting Raven this morning about making plans to go to the gym (unlikely to pan out, but it made her feel better to pretend there was a chance they would go) and she hadn't said anything about it; the same went for Bellamy, who had spent two hours telling her about James Garfield's probably avoidable death with zero mention of a _Running Man_ offer.

Her phone rang, startling her out of her daydreaming.

She smiled at the screen once she saw who it was.

"Hi," she said, glancing at Abby out of the corner of her eye.

"Guess what Ulysses S. Grant's house still has?"

Bellamy had been starting conversations like that lately, with some trivia about presidents she couldn't be certain were actually real, but despite the fact that it could've been annoying, it wasn't. It was cute. Everything about Bellamy was cute.

"His skeleton," she guessed before putting him on speakerphone so she could google Ulysses S. Grant.

_Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States. As Commanding General of the United States Army, Grant worked closely with President Abraham Lincoln to lead the Union Army to victory over the Confederacy in the American Civil War._

"No, wait, a book signed by Lincoln?"

"Wrong, and I know you just Googled him."

She sniffed in dismissal. "Okay, tell me, since you're not going to let up unless you do."

"See, it's no fun when you're not excited too."

"How would you know? I'm so excited you can't even tell how excited I am."

"Right. So his house is open for public tours, because historical property, and Grant had throat cancer, which means, of course, the best solution was to drink water with cocaine in it, and they still have it on display."

"Best solution exactly."

"The Parks department measures it every year to make sure nothing's missing."

" _That_ sounds foolproof."

"You're impressed though, aren't you?"

She bit back a smile, even though he couldn't see it. She wasn't impressed, but she did like when he called her just to ramble on about something. "It was better than your rant about Jackson but –"

"Anything is better than Jackson," he chorused along with her. She pulled her legs under her and shifted to a more comfortable position.

"Soooooooo."

"Soooooooo."

She rolled the bottom of her sweater between her fingers. "I got offered a spot on _Running Man_."

His reaction wasn't what she expected, a nonchalant, "They finally told you?"

" _Finally_?"

"Oh," he said, clearing his throat. "I meant – really?"

"How long did you know about this?"

"Are you mad?" At least he sounded contrite. She stopped scowling.

"How long have you known?"

"Just a few days. Callie told us they were going to ask you and specifically said," He affected a higher voice, supposedly in imitation of the executive producer, " _Bellamy, don't tell her_ , and you know I can't go against that."

Clarke rolled her eyes but couldn't help laughing. "Do you think I should do it?"

"Do you want to do it?"

"You first."

"Oh, come on, is that – hold on, I need to sign in –" There was some rustling on Bellamy's end.

"Where are you?"

"On my way into ABS – have a nice day!"

"Shut up," she said, incredulous, and stood up, scanning around the lobby. Of the few people milling around, none of them were Bellamy. Her mom was still talking into her phone by the doors.

"That's mean," he pointed out, "I just wanted Darla to have a good day."

"No, I mean… okay, I'm actually at ABS too. In the lobby."

Bellamy's deep laugh rang in her ear. "Where in the lobby?"

"The… center? No, oh, you know the painting by –" A hand clamped down on her shoulder all of a sudden and she yelped, clutching her chest in shock as the Bellamy poked his head in front of her, a huge grin on his face and his phone held loosely in his other hand. She shoved at his shoulder. "Don't _do_ that."

"Do what?" He blinked for innocent effect. She shoved him again. "Sorry! I couldn't resist."

"Sure you couldn't," she muttered, willing her heart to calm down. The phone call had ended and she stuffed it back in her bag. "What are you doing here?"

There was excitement on his face when he answered, running a hand through his hair, messing up the way his curls sat. "Recording the audiobook for _Dead Presidents_."

"Of _course_ you are," she said, pointing at him like it made complete sense. It did, because it was Bellamy, and it was a perfect way to combine his voice with his love for history. She was only surprised that it had taken so long. He was made for that.

He shook his head, evidently embarrassed by this. The excited grin was hard to wipe off, though. "Yeah, yeah, so are you going to do it?"

"The audiobook recording?" She knew what he was really asking, but wanted to see that annoyed look on his face. He didn't disappoint.

" _Running Man_ ," he sighed.

She dragged it out, remaining quiet and in thought until Bellamy looked like he was about to interject. Then, she nodded, and watched his grin grow, and by that point, she couldn't stop herself from smiling back.

Naturally, that was when her mom decided she could interrupt.

"Clarke." They both turned at Abby's voice. "Bellamy Blake."

"I go by Bellamy, actually," and it wasn't his fault because his charm would've worked on literally anyone else not named Abby Griffin, but as it stood, it _was_ Abby Griffin, and she was already unhappy about any _Running Man_ association.

He seemed to sense it, his mouth dropping a few ticks as he shot her a look. Clarke tried to convey _it's not you, it's her, don't worry_ in a split second glance.

"Mom," she said, raising her eyebrow at her. "You're done?"

"I have a few other calls I can make later," she said briskly. "Are you ready to go?"

"Uh." On the one hand, she did need to get home, but on the other, she didn't want a lecture from Abby. Bellamy was mostly amused, but tried valiantly to pretend he wasn't. "Yeah, I guess?"

"I'll pull the car around," Abby said, glancing again at Bellamy before giving her a look.

Once she walked off, Bellamy snorted. "Your mom hates me, huh."

"I don't think anyone from _Running Man_ is really in her top ten right now. Sorry about that," she added, genuine. She had been lying; Abby did hate Bellamy a little bit. She never _said_ it, but Clarke knew. It didn't help that she didn't try to hide it very well.

"Her loss," he shrugged, knocking his shoulder against hers. "I'm _great_ with parents."

"Yeah, you're a regular charmer," she said dryly.

"If your mom liked me, you'd get it."

"I guess I'll never know."

***

 

**GRIFFIN JOINS RUNNING MAN, TRADES STETHOSCOPE FOR RUNNING SHOES**

_Madison Fox,_  TVLine Contributor

March 14, 2016

TVLine can report that Clarke Griffin ( ** _Dr. Pyle_** ) has joined the cast of the popular variety show, _Running Man_ for its upcoming fifth season. Griffin has been a frequent guest on the show in the past, popular due to her competitive nature and strategic thinking. She is part of the fan-favorite loveline with Bellamy Blake ( ** _Smile, Cruel City, High Society_** ), a pairing fans have dubbed the "Thursday Couple." (See our gallery of the best "Thursday Couple" moments from the past two seasons.)

Griffin is currently starring in _Dr. Pyle_ 's fourth and final season with a finale slated to air in May. She shot to fame as Annabeth Pyle, the sister to Roan Azgeda's titular _Dr. Pyle_.

 _Running Man_ starts filming next week and will premiere its fifth season in April.

 

***

She fully expected the first show to be different, because she was a _regular member_ now, but it wasn't. They did an extended introduction where Bellamy introduced Clarke, Jasper made a remark about it ("I bet you're happy about that, huh, Bellamy?"), everyone else did the requisite oohing and ahhing that was supposed to reflect the audience's reaction, but she had expected that. It seemed like they were going to stick to the same script with the maybe-couple thing, so that was familiar ground. She was flung into a pool five times before the hour was over and her team failed their final mission, but it was fun and she was the kind of exhausted that came with a good day.

***

"Come on, you have to go!" Raven shouted from outside the bathroom. "It's Bryan's birthday!" Clarke toweled off her hair and peeked her head out, where Raven was currently lying on the couch in the dressing room – her dressing room now, she supposed – looking like she _hadn't_ just done a relay in the sand and like she _didn't_ feel like she'd never get it out of her hair.

"I look and feel gross and I already gave Miller Bryan's present so I don't _have_ to go," she explained as she tugged her towel off and brushed her hair out. She swore there was still sand left.

"I know what this is about."

"I just told you what –"

Raven suddenly slammed a hand down on the armrest and Clarke may or may not have jumped slightly. Just a little.

" _Just_ because Bellamy's not going doesn't mean you shouldn't go either!"

She gaped at her and the impassioned statement. "That's definitely _not_ why – I just _told_ you why I didn't want to go!"

But Raven barreled on like she hadn't heard her, narrowing her eyes at her suspiciously. "Unless… you're secretly meeting up with him. Are you doing that?" She looked impressed with the idea.

Flustered, it took a while to come up with something to say, even though she had nothing to hide. She _wished_ she did, but the last time she checked, she and Bellamy were still firmly Just Friends. Which was why it was preposterous for Raven to suggest otherwise. "No secret meetings here," she said. "Okay, fine, you win, I'll go." She could stay for an hour or so, say hi to Bryan, get a drink or two, and then go home.

"I'm onto you, Griffin," Raven said. "Hurry up and get ready!"

***

Bryan's bar was packed, half for his party, half for other people – he was running a business after all – but he was easy to spot, by a corner, with Miller attached to him, arm wrapped around his waist, and crowing every few minutes that he was with the birthday boy. They were hard to miss.

There was a group of people surrounding them, though, and when Raven told her that she was going to find Harper, one of their stunt coordinators, Clarke nodded and headed for the bar, trying and failing to flag down a bartender.

She tried to wave him down again until she heard Bellamy's voice near her ear, directed at the inattentive bartender. "Sterling!" She whirled around and found herself face to face with him, dangerously close, enough that if she leaned up a little, she could kiss him. For a moment, she almost did it, and then shook herself from that reckless idea.

"I thought you weren't coming," she said, recovering spectacularly. Not that she had anything to recover from, at least to his knowledge.

"I never _said_ that, Miller just assumed that I wouldn't."

"Maybe he was trying to send you a message."

"He would. That bastard."

"Hey, birthday party!"

"I didn't say anything about Bryan!"

"But he's his fiancé, so he's protected under that clause. Don't you read the fine print?"

"No, my vision sucks."

"That sounds like a personal problem."

"I guess that means you _don't_ want a drink?"

"Good luck getting him to notice you," she grumbled, crossing her arms and glaring at the bartender – Sterling, apparently – in question.

"Sterling! Bryan wants some drinks!" He appeared immediately, like it was his cue. Clarke turned her glare to Bellamy, who smiled serenely and smugly all at once.

"I could've done that."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Shut up."

"I think you mean thank you."

" _Thank you_ ," she said sulkily, turning around to grab the drink. Bellamy laughed and leaned in, the side of his face suddenly in front of her as he reached for his drink. Her breath hitched involuntarily and she jerked back, nearly spilling the drink. "P–personal space, Bellamy."

"I'm not even in the way," he said, as if that was the problem. She was saved from a retort by Bryan's booming, tipsy voice shouting their names.

"I knew you'd be together!"

"Don't mind him, he's pretty drunk," Miller said, but it was so fond she almost wanted to leave to give them some privacy. Judging by Bellamy's face, he thought the same. "But he does raise a fair point."

"Nice to see you too." Bellamy gave both of them a hug; she had always appreciated that he didn't do that half-assed guy-hug, which was probably as low of standards as she could set, but at this point, she really liked everything about him. "Should I bother getting him drinks or is he done?"

"It's his birthday," Clarke pointed out, to Bryan's approval. "Rite of passage and all that."

"When inevitably, I get blamed for this, I just want the record to show that it was Clarke's fault."

"I wouldn't blame you!"

"I knew I could count on you, man." Bellamy turned to look at her, cocking an eyebrow in challenge. "Do you want to try again or do you want me to show you how it's done?"

"Go take them to a booth and I'll show _you_ how it's done."

"Everything's a fight with you."

She shoved him towards Miller and Bryan, who were finding their way to a corner booth already. "It's what I'm best at!"

Clarke missed Bellamy's response because Sterling decided to finally pay attention, but she could hear the echo of his laughter even after she'd turned around.

***

 

 **@courtneyleung15** : Omg <http://pic.twitter.com/hE7ketgIrs>

**@captmiller** : @courtneyleung15 is that bellamy blake and clarke griffin????

 **@courtneyleung15** : @captmiller Yes hahahaha they were at the same bar i was last night!

 **@rmcheckups** : @courtneyleung15 @captmiller they were together?

 **@courtneyleung15** : @rmcheckups @captmiller Yes! At least the whole time i saw them

 **@em_vol** : @courtneyleung15 TOGETHER TOGETHER?!???

 

 

**REEL TO REEL? SPECULATION INCREASES AS BELLAMY BLAKE AND CLARKE GRIFFIN GET COZY OUTSIDE BAR**

Carla Young, May 7, 2016

Are Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin dating? That's the only question on everyone's minds after the pair were spotted outside Alpha Station last night getting into a car together after what appears to be a fun night out. Alpha Station, a bar owned by Nathan Miller's fiancé, Bryan Hart, is a regular spot for the _Running Man_ cast, although this time, it was more than just a friendly get-together for the pair known as the "Thursday Couple."

Griffin, 24, left her blonde hair down in loose curls and sported a plain but stylish black tee and faded blue jeans while Blake, 28, looked handsome in a matching black tee and jeans. He had a helpful hand on Griffin's back as he guided them to the car, where they looked cozy and comfortable before they got in.

Dating rumors have followed them for years. A popular pairing on _Running Man_ , many fans have wondered if there is more going on between them beyond the show. Back in February, they were seen together watching a hockey game at Ark University, where Blake's sister, Octavia, currently attends. Since joining the _Running Man_ cast as a regular member in March, the speculation has increased, something that will definitely be fueled even more by these cozy pictures!

It wouldn't be the first time Griffin has dated a coworker (her previous relationship with Lexa Klute, then a producer on _Dr. Pyle_ , ended in early 2015), but hopefully, Bellamy and Clarke will be able to make this one last.

Representatives for Blake and Griffin could not be reached for comment at this time.

 

***

The shrill ringing of her phone woke her up, and even though she tried to ignore it, it just didn't stop ringing. She answered it with her face half buried in her comforter. "Hello?"

It was her mom, of _course_ , and she jumped right to business. "Are you dating Bellamy Blake?" She demanded, and even one-quarter awake, Clarke could picture the look on Abby's face, a little pinched and a lot distressed.

She had no idea what she was talking about. Or, really, that this wasn't part of a dream. "Am I still asleep?" It was a mumble that fizzled out into the heavy lull of sleep. Somehow Abby had heard it.

"I'm asking you a question, Clarke."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"There are _pictures_ , articles about the two of you –"

"Doing what? Hold on." She was _pretty_ sure she hadn't gotten drunk and made out with him last night. If she had, she hoped it would feel a lot better than this morning she was enduring already.

The articles were easy to find and she blinked the sleep out of her eyes as she read the first one she clicked on. The pictures were nice, they did look good together, she remembered him telling her some terrible joke he thought was hilarious– " _Cozy_?" She finally said, interrupting her mom's rambling that she hadn't been paying attention to. "We were walking to the Uber! Mom, this is what I mean when I talk about how the media is heteronormative, we could be standing two feet away and –"

"I take it you're not dating him then," she interrupted with relief, as if _that_ had been the point she was supposed to glean.

"What if I was?" She said suddenly, a little defensively, because she was making it sound like the worst thing in the world if Clarke started dating Bellamy, who had never cheated on anyone or deliberately sabotaged someone's career before, unlike some _other_ people she knew. "He's smart and successful and _funny_ and cares a _lot_ about –"

"Clarke," Abby said, defeated, "I'm well aware you _would_ date him. That wasn't my question."

"Well." It wasn't like she was wrong. "If that was it, can I go back to sleep now?"

"Don't forget lunch tomorrow."

"Like you'd let me forget." She made a face at her phone after the call ended and curled into her comforter again, closing her eyes. There was another hour before her alarm and she was going to fully take advantage of that.

She opened her eyes five minutes later and reached for her phone again.

They really did look nice together.

***

There was a knock on her door almost the minute she sat down in the chair.

"Clarke, good, you're here," Tristan, one of the PAs said, looking rushed. "Callie wants to see you in her office."

"What? Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I was just told to get you." A second later, he was gone.

In eleventh grade, she and Wells had been sent to the principal's office for disrupting their fourth period physics class with their fighting (over whose idea for the egg drop was better) and she _still_ remembered how it felt when they had to walk to his office, like dread was sticking her feet to the floor. She recalled this moment because eleventh grade Clarke and current day Clarke was feeling the same thing.

Was she in trouble? Had she done something _to_ get in trouble? Did she say something wrong? Was she _getting fired_? Had the audience hated her that much? Her mind was running with all sorts of conclusions and eventually decided that she _must've_ done something wrong because she was _definitely_ getting the boot. She only stopped freaking out when she saw Bellamy waiting outside Callie's office.

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, she snuck up behind him, making him jump a little with her question. "What are you doing here?"

"Jesus – Clarke, don't scare me like that."

"You do it all the time to me."

"I've learned my lesson then." He was on his phone, still looking a bit startled.

It didn't really occur to her that Bellamy might've seen the articles too until that moment. She wasn't on Twitter a lot these days for a number of reasons (mostly the homophobia, biphobia, and the every-so-often _get back together with lexa u bitch!!!_ tweets), but Bellamy was attached to the idea that he should talk to his fans sometimes (it was a stupid idea). He was probably tagged in at least one tweet about it. She knew they had a small following on Twitter.

Now nervously, she repeated her question and he shrugged and pocketed his phone. "Nothing. Just checking the time. What are you here for?" She had a feeling he was trying to distract her, but she welcomed it because she didn't know how to bring up those articles without blushing madly.

With a whine in her voice, she said, "Would Callie fire me in front of an audience? She's not that mean, right? I mean, she's not mean in general, but I don't know how she is when she's firing someone."

"Did you commit a fireable offense?"

"I don't know! Maybe?"

"Well, it's been nice working with you if you are fired."

"I feel so much better now."

He chuckled. "You know it's not that. People love you and ratings have increased since you started. Not to mention how much Callie likes you."

She was too anxious to take in the compliments, instead shooting a miserable look at Bellamy. "I'm going to miss craft services the most, I think."

He sounded vaguely offended by that. "Craft services? The _most_?"

"They make the best buffalo chicken wraps –"

"Clarke, Bellamy, sorry to keep you waiting," Callie opened the door and greeted them, cutting off what was probably going to be a long defensive rant. She ushered them inside her office and they found a couple of the writers all sitting around the table. The queasiness that had subsided while she was talking to Bellamy returned abruptly. Unsteadily, she sat down in the proffered chair. Bellamy noticed and shot her a worried look.

He was the one who started talking first. "What's going on?"

The curious smile Callie had on reassured her a little. If it was something bad, she wouldn't be smiling at them, right? "Are the two of you dating?"

That was the _last_ thing she expected, and flabbergasted, all she could do was sputter out a, " _No_!" at the same time Bellamy asked, much calmer and almost amused, "What?" She was more prepared for Callie to fire her than for her to ask them if they were _dating_.

Callie looked like she didn't believe them, but what she said was, "Good to know." She moved into the next order of business immediately, shuffling the papers on her desk

For some reason, that really bothered Clarke. That was the extent of her reaction? It bothered her the entire time she listened to Callie explain why she wanted to meet with them today. _Running Man_ was going to celebrate its 100th episode in a few weeks and they wanted to use the Thursday Couple segments in each episode to build up the anticipation for it, drop in more hints, add in more teasing, essentially make the viewers wonder whether or not it was actually real. The 100th episode special was going to be for the fans, Callie said, and what did the fans want more than a Thursday Couple date?

It still bothered her when Callie thanked them for talking with her and sent them on their way. It was ridiculous how much it bothered her, because she didn't know _why_ it did, and she _shouldn't_ have been so bothered. It was three words!

"You didn't hear anything she said, did you?" Bellamy asked, once they were walking back to the dressing rooms.

"Of course I did," she scoffed. Lowering her voice in a (bad) imitation of Bellamy's, she continued, " _That sounds like we're leading them on_." Then, in a higher voice like Callie's, " _That's television._ "

He frowned. "I don't sound like that."

"Yes, you do. There's a YouTube channel dedicated to it."

"You've been searching?"

" _No_." Monty had sent it to her as a joke, but maybe she had watched half of one video before it got to be too much. "Anyways, it's fine."

"What is?"

"The… you know, the new Thursday Couple stuff."

"You know," he said hesitantly. "If you're uncomfortable with it, they can think of something else."

"I'm not uncomfortable with it," she said instantly, so fast that it had to be suspicious. It was the truth, though, because being _uncomfortable_ with having to pretend she was in love with Bellamy (while actually being in love with him) wasn't exactly how she'd describe her worry about it. _Worried that he'd find out she was actually in love with him_ was more accurate. Besides, they'd been doing this for three years now. It wasn't like it was anything _new_ , aside from how much _more_ they'd have to do it. "Are _you_ uncomfortable with it?"

"I'm not uncomfortable with it," Bellamy echoed, nearly with the same speed. "I just wanted… to make sure you were okay with it."

"I am." Probably. "It's like –" she scrambled for an analogy, "Riding a bike."

"I don't think that works here."

"You get the point."

"Yeah. So we're good?"

"Never better!"

There was a weird, awkward, _uncomfortable_ pause where neither of them said anything and then, inexplicably, Bellamy patted her on the head, ruffling her hair a little in the process. "See you in a bit," he said hastily, before practically fleeing away.

***

archerss-cross:

i haven't seen anyone talk about this yet but according to this article, some of the upcoming eps are supposed to be "really great" for the thursday couple fans and i don't think it's just them baiting us this time because they've definitely been hinting at it a lot more

like am i the only one who's noticed how touchy feely bellamy and clarke have gotten in the past few eps? correct me if i'm wrong but they were never this much before? i was watching last week's ep again and they were like ALL OVER EACH OTHER omg his arm was around her waist for like 10 mins even though the mission was over

and the may 14th ep where clarke was partnered with miller, bellamy was so jealous, he was glaring at him and everything?? And then it happened in the next ep too but clarke was jealous?? like i kinda figured that with clarke joining the show they would be together a lot more but this is like asdlkfa;lskdga whatisthetruth.gif

i'm pretty sure there's a plan to this and i think they're gonna lead up to some big reveal about how they've been dating this whole time

what do you guys think?? thursdaycouplevevo daisyirenes thurscouple10

 

***

She wished she could say that she handled the new Thursday Couple stuff with grace and aplomb, but the writers were making it really hard for her to do so. For one thing, they were just so _blatant_ about it. Whereas before, it was just here or there, sly comments, flirty exchanges at the beginning of an episode, the occasional pairing off for the missions, now, the writers seemed intent on forcing them to be together every episode, writing in the most outrageous lines for the others to tease them with (as if they needed the push), encouraging the two of them to touch more, to grab each other's hands, to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, to pat his cheek.

It was driving her _crazy_ and she hated it in the same degree as she loved it. She got to pretend the way he was looking back at her was _real_ , but it was also getting to the point that she had to actively try even harder to remind herself that it _wasn't_ real. They had a job to do, and she had to stop getting confused about it.

It definitely didn't help – and probably made things _worse_ – that Bellamy was avoiding her at every turn. As soon as _cut!_ was called or filming finished, he was always busy talking to someone else, or checking in with the crew, or just _disappearing_. They stopped hanging out in her dressing room and all their texts felt stilted and one-sided in a way that wasn't consistent with them. She hadn't even had a chance to ask him about it, let alone _talk_ to him for more than five cursory minutes.

All in all, she was due for a breaking point and Clarke was just lucky that it wasn't Bellamy who witnessed it.

"What's wrong with you?" Miller said, leaning against the wall she was currently resting her head on. She didn't hear him the first time because she had _That she doesn't back down from a fight. I like that she's plucky. And she's got nice eyes_. on a loop in her brain ever since the director had called cut ten minutes ago. She remembered blushing hard (not scripted), feeling the heat flood her cheeks, and somehow coming up with a quippy remark in response to Bellamy. It wasn't fair that he could say things like that but then ignore her the rest of the day. Miller repeated the question and she finally turned to him, vaguely registering that it was him.

"That wasn't in the script, right?"

"What wasn't?"

"What Bellamy said. About what he liked about me."

"Does it matter?"

" _Yes_."

Miller sighed. "Why did you agree to this?"

"Bellamy agreed!"

"That doesn't mean –" He stopped, then narrowed his eyes at her. "You _want_ to do this!"

She froze guiltily.

"You _do_!" He shook his head in disbelief and Clarke felt like following his example. "You know you could just _date_ him, right? Instead of _pretending_ to – do whatever this is?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Neither of them believed it.

"There's no one here – including you, by the way, except you won't admit it – that doesn't know that if you asked him out, he would say yes!"

"Stop it." He was wrong because Bellamy hadn't talked to her in two weeks and the most she'd seen of him was when they were pretending to be in love. She had tried really hard to not let it affect her, but Miller reminding her proved how impossible it was.

"You know I'm right."

"It's none of your business, Miller."

"I'm not trying to _make_ it my business. I'm just saying that it's _obvious_ that –"

"No," she said, pulling herself back to her full height, which, admittedly, wasn't much compared to Miller, but where she lacked, she made up for with her icy tone. "You're wrong. Because he wouldn't be acting like – how about you tell me why he's avoiding me like it's an Olympic sport? Because if you haven't noticed –" her voice hitched just a little and she hated it, "You're wrong. Okay? Leave me alone."

Miller's face softened, and it was that pity she hated even more, but he didn't say anything else, just stood beside her by the wall until the director called for everyone to come back.

***

 

 **MILLER:** Come on, you have to tell us now. What do you like the most about Clarke?

CAMERA pans to CLARKE, who should look appropriately shy yet interested in the answer. BELLAMY pauses, then SMIRKS.

 **BELLAMY:** How long do you have?

EVERYONE laughs, then BELLAMY should TRANSITION TO COMMERCIAL BREAK.

 

***

She supposed she should be excited that they were going to Australia, and she would be, once they landed in Sydney, but she hadn't gotten any sleep the night before (because she had been last-minute packing), had to leave her house by 4 AM, and had been ushered around by airport security for the past two hours, so the only thing on her mind was sleeping for the next 24 hours.

She didn't even care that the seat was uncomfortable. She was going to curl up in it and sleep forever. As she drifted to sleep, she heard Monty sit down in the seat next to her. "Can I borrow your sleep mask?" Clarke asked, her eyes still closed.

"Not Monty," Bellamy said, and her eyes flew open. Sure enough, he was sitting in the seat that was supposed to be Monty's, seatbelt buckled and hair tousled. Her heart twinged a little, seeing him right there. She missed him.

She drew the blanket closer, like a barrier, and did a quick scan of the plane to find Monty. Although he was talking to Jasper, he caught her eye and shrugged apologetically.

"This isn't your seat," she said finally, a little warily.

"Yeah, I know," he said. He looked nervous. "I asked Monty if we could trade."

"Okay." It was silent again, and it was _weird_. She pulled the blanket closer.

"Clarke, I – I was a dick to you the past two weeks." The blanket dropped a little in her surprise. That wasn't what she was expecting. Bellamy kept going, staring at the seat in front of him like he was trying to burn a hole through it. "And, and I knew I was, and didn't do anything to fix it, and I'm really sorry."

"Why were you avoiding me?"

He looked at her now, guilt written across his face. "I was pissed off at Callie and the writers for doing this to us because it was just, they were using us for their ratings," he shook his head in frustration, "and it wasn't fair to you to bring you in just so we could do this thing and it wasn't fair that we were doing this and it wasn't –" he coughed, "– we're more than this Thursday Couple thing."

That made sense. She felt a little wrong for enjoying it, but he wasn't wrong for his frustration over it. Sometimes, she went home and wondered if she had been asked to join them just for their loveline. She still wasn't sure about the verdict. "But you didn't have to avoid me," she said, turning away. His eyes were too good at weakening her resolve to be mad at him. "You were mad at Callie, not me." The _right?_ was implied.

"I'm not mad at you, honestly, I'm not. I was taking it out on the wrong person and I shouldn't have."

Clarke peeked a look at him, found him staring down at the armrest between them. "Are you going to keep ignoring me?"

Immediately, he denied it. "No! God, it was bad enough the first time. I hate not talking to you, Clarke."

"Me too," she admitted. "If you do that again without telling me why, I'm not going to forgive you next time."

"I'm not doing it again," he promised, and she believed him. She was still a little angry because it had been _that_ easy to fix it, which meant that it could've been fixed two weeks ago, but there wasn't anything she could do about that now. She shifted so that she was leaning slightly the armrest between them, feeling the warmth of his body as soon as she did so. She had missed him a lot.

"Okay," she said. She pulled the blanket back up and lifted the armrest back.

"I get it if you're still mad at me," Bellamy said hesitantly, even as he was pulling her to him and she made herself comfortable on his shoulder. "You don't need to forgive me –"

"God," she said, her eyes already closed and ready for sleep. "Shut up, okay? I'm still mad, but I don't want to be anymore, so just give me your shoulder to sleep on and we're even."

He was quiet for a second and then he laughed, low and relieved. "Did you just do your packing last night?"

"Maybe."

"I knew it."

"No one _actually_ packs before the night before, Bellamy."

"I packed three days before."

"What if you need the clothes you already packed away?"

"Then I take them out?"

"Amateur. Let me sleep."

Bellamy laughed again, happier, lighter, and that was how she felt too. He pulled the blanket up around her and settled back in the seat so that she could sleep more comfortably. For a very, very brief moment as she fell asleep, she was struck with an urge to tell him everything, that she missed him, that she liked this, that she was in love with him, but when she woke up, to Bellamy's sleepy eyes gazing at her, she thought this was good enough for now.

***

"Clarke, we need just the shot of your head peeking out of the door."

Something she'd learned since working in variety: most of the shooting time revolved around simple actions like that, opening a door, peeking out of it, making sure the lighting was catching her enough that it looked like she was actually getting out of bed instead of waiting until all the cameras were ready.

She opened the door and peered out into the darkened hallway of their hotel floor, looked both ways like she was actually hoping no one was around, and when she saw no one (because no one was supposed to be there, yet), she tiptoed out and turned the corner, running, as intended, into Bellamy.

Once they got their scene (flustered Clarke, Bellamy steadying her, conversation about searching for the next clue and initiating a tentative alliance for the mission), the camera crew started packing up and left the two of them loitering in the hallway.

Bellamy's hair was tousled, sleep mussed in a very believable way – Rena was way nicer to Bellamy than Cindy was to her – and he grinned briefly at her, jerking his head toward the alcove at the end of the hallway. She followed and slouched in one of the armchairs, Bellamy joining her in the other one. It was quiet, but the good kind of quiet that was comfortable and welcoming and warm. They were supposed to be sleeping, because their wake-up call was at 7 AM, but she didn't really want to go back to her room.

Bellamy drummed his fingers on the armrest and hummed quietly, a tune that was vaguely familiar, but not pressing enough that she had to figure it out. "Next week," he said, like it was an afterthought.

"Yeah?"

"The 100th," he clarified, and her eyes widened as she remembered. It was hard to keep track of the numbers sometimes because they didn't exactly do the episodes in order. The only episode they really slated was their season premiere and the finale, in a normal season. They were just told filming for the 100th episode, which was going to be taking place by Lake Arkadia, was set for a specific week. Next week, apparently.

"I had kinda forgotten."

"You just don't want to go on a date with me." He said it easily, a half-grin on his face, and she almost snorted at how far from the truth that was.

"Yeah, that's it," she said instead, teasing. "There's just no romantic bone in your body."

"I'm _very_ romantic," he said indignantly, which was always fun because he was fun to provoke into an argument. That was, in all honesty, one of the reasons why she had always found it easy to talk to him, even when they didn't get along that well. In a way, it was welcoming. She could let her guard down.

"When was the last time you went on a date?"

"Just because it was a few months ago doesn't negate the truth."

"What did you do on the date?"

"We went to the Winter Wonderland thing downtown. There was snow in my hair. I won a teddy bear." She laughed at the picture he painted for her, and then, annoyingly, suppressed a flash of jealousy. It had been _one_ date _months_ ago with a nameless person; she had no right to be jealous about that. But. She wished she had been on the date.

She cleared her throat. "You're right. That does sound like a very romantic scene. But snow's always romantic so that's cheating."

"Even during a blizzard?"

"Snowed in. Cuddle for warmth."

He was appraising. "I'll keep that in mind then."

She wasn't picturing the two of them cuddling. "Anytime you need some wisdom imparted."

"You'll be my first call. What about you? Romance."

Clarke scoffed. "You know how much I suck at that."

"You don't suck at it."

"I'm not _good_ at it."

"Well, not everyone can be me."

"And still be friends with their exes? You're right. That's super weird still."

"Gina and I were just better off as friends!" Again, she had to ignore that jealousy at the mention of her name. This was even worse because she had _liked_ Gina; Gina was too friendly not to like, but she remembered those three months they had dated and it had really sucked pretending she was okay with it. "You and Lexa were just…"

"Better off never seeing each other again?"

"I wouldn't say that."

"I would."

"I didn't want to put words in your mouth."

She smiled despite herself. "New topic."

"Let's go to the beach after filming wraps up tomorrow."

"Yeah, okay."

***

They were too busy to go to the beach, which was a bummer because she had really been looking forward to that, and if she had any idea that it would've predicted how busy the next week was going to be, she would've tried a little harder to insist that they go to the beach. They were busy filming promos for the 100th episode, doing interviews for the 100th episode, and still filming the rest of the episodes in between.

A week passed fast that way and it wasn't until Clarke was nearly falling asleep on the couch at Raven's pre-100th episode/this was just an excuse to have a party party that she realized how quickly it had gone by. They were supposed to start filming the 100th tomorrow.

"You're being a real bummer," Raven said once she collapsed next to her, beer in hand. She offered it to her but Clarke declined. "See. Bummer."

"I can't hear you," she sang back, waving her hand in her face.

" _BUMMER_ ," she repeated, right in her ear.

"I'm going to find Bellamy," she declared, pulling on her ear to get rid of the ringing that was happening.

"Your boyfriend's outside!" She ignored her taunting and whistling as she made her way outside, where she found Bellamy talking to Bryan. Once, she'd asked Miller if it was weird how much they looked like each other, and he had denied that they did. She laughed for ten minutes.

"Are you sure you aren't long lost brothers?" At the sound of her voice, they turned toward her and even lifted their beers at her in greeting at the same time. She tucked the image of Bellamy's smile away in her memory.

"I'm pretty sure," Bryan answered. "You?"

"Fairly certain. Could be a ninth season plot twist though."

"Oh, definitely. I guess you'll find out."

"And then I'll gloat," she said, leaning her head against Bellamy's arm. "Why aren't you guys tired? I'm exhausted." He tapped her forehead lightly, but she refused to move, and he didn't seem to mind.

"If it's any consolation," Bryan offered, "Miller's come home every night this week and barely makes it through a conversation without falling asleep right after."

"That does make me feel a little better."

"Clarke's really into other people suffering when she is," Bellamy said and laughed when she poked his side.

"It's only fair!"

"I'm not _so_ sure about that."

"I am. I'm the expert here."

Bryan was looking at them oddly and when Clarke saw, it made her self conscious. He noticed, though, and finished off the last of his beer, gesturing inside. "I'm going to go find Miller. Want me to take that for you?" He was referring to Bellamy's beer and he thanked him before handing it off to him.

"Are you going to be Miller's best man?" she asked once Bryan was inside.

"I'll be pissed at him if I'm not." They both moved to sit on the front steps, Bellamy on the bottom one while she sat on the top one. He turned so he could look at her, leaning against the railing, and she smiled at him, brushing an errant curl out of his face. "I was the one who got them together."

She'd heard this story before, but she let him tell it again. She really liked the way he told stories. Miller had been working at Bryan's bar for a few months, and even though it was obvious that he liked him ("even to you," she interjected. "Yes, even I could tell," he replied back with a roll of his eyes), he hadn't wanted to jeopardize their friendship (Clarke could relate). It took Bellamy visiting Miller at work for Bryan to ask him out, because while he knew Miller didn't have a boyfriend, he thought Bellamy was interested in being Miller's boyfriend. Five years later, they were engaged, "and I have dibs on being best man," he said.

"That's a good story," she said, a little nostalgic. Bellamy nodded and then chuckled. "What?"

"I just thought about when we first met."

Clarke grimaced. "We got off on the wrong foot."

"Yeah, I didn't make a good first impression, did I?"

"No," she said suddenly. "You did."

"I thought we were just talking about how bad that first meeting was." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Remember _Hex Hall_?"

"My first show?"

"Yeah." She flushed at what she was about to say. "I had a crush on you." Clarke said it fast, in a rush, and she worried that she would have to repeat it. And then she was babbling, every word trying to drown out what she'd said first. "I had a crush on Roma too! And obviously, I liked the show on its own merits too, even though there was some weird deviating from the books that I wasn't a fan of, but overall, it's like a childhood staple. You know. For teens."

"Are you through?"

"Is there any chance you forgot what I said earlier?"

"Nope."

Then I think I've got more to go."

"Okay, I guess you can go ahead and tell me more about this crush."

"There's nothing else to tell."

"Was it the hair? Did you watch every episode? Did you have a poster of me?" He kept prodding and she groaned, covering her face with her hands and feeling how hot it was getting.

"Stop making fun of me," she mumbled.

"Clarke," he said, before she felt him slide into the space next to her and pull her hands off. She turned her back on him and he was propping his chin on her shoulder right away, which made her let out an unwilling laugh as she shrugged him off. "I'm not making fun of you. I'm just – really flattered."

"Ugh." She turned her head to sneak a look at him and he was blushing a little. "You're not doing a good job of showing that."

"I'm still too shocked to react appropriately."

"That's ridiculous. You were on like fifty magazines a week – yes, I got _one_ , don't start – there's no way you're still not used to that."

"It's been awhile since those years," Bellamy remarked dryly. "Plus it's different."

Clarke was facing him now. "How?"

He wasn't meeting her eyes. "It just is."

"Well, now I know exactly what you mean."

"It's really nothing," although that wasn't helpful either. "Sorry for making fun of your crush on me." He still had a smile on his face, even as he was getting up now, offering a hand to her. "Wanna go back inside?"

She shook her head. "Tell me what you mean first." He straightened up and looked at her, eyes seemingly searching hers.

When she told this story later, she always added the part about how she felt the air shift, how she could tell something had changed in that moment. At the exact time it was happening, she couldn't really say if this was true, but this was what she could say: Bellamy was just a few feet away from her, she saw something in his eyes that encouraged her, and she had something to say. She didn't know why she wanted to now when she had decided against it a number of times before, but it felt like the time. It felt like she needed to get it out, that he needed to know.

"Let's go inside. It's getting hot," was what he said.

She felt herself deflate, mind fuzzy with the kind of hope she tried not to let herself have and the disappointment that made her remember why she refused to indulge in it. Clarke shook her head again, leaning back against the porch deck with her hands bracing her.

"No, you go ahead. I'll be in in a bit."

He didn't move for a minute and then his steps were slow, stopping more than once before she heard the door close.

It took her a while to say it, the words on her tongue. They came in a whisper, like a test. "I think I'm in love with you."

She shook her head for the third time that night and got up.

***

The only big difference about filming a 100th episode as opposed to a regular episode was that there were a lot more people around. Clarke was standing by Raven, waiting for the crew to finish setting up for the paddleboating date she and Bellamy were supposed to go on. There was a slight breeze and the perfect amount of sun and her hands were a little sweaty, which was the only downside to this perfect date setup. Also, that it wasn't a real one, but she'd made her peace with that already.

Everyone had shown up for this part, even if they weren't on the call sheet. Miller was talking to Bellamy on the other side, where he was going to enter from; Jasper was by the cameras; Monty was gathered with a group of writers waiting for the filming to begin. Even Callie was here, sitting a few feet back from the proceedings with some of the other producers.

No pressure or anything.

"Are you ready?" Raven asked.

"Nope."

"That's the spirit." A PA started waving her over and she swallowed back her nerves. It was stupid; it wasn't even a real date. "Okay, remember. The script doesn't tell you guys to kiss, so try to keep your hands to yourself."

The PA was waving more insistently now. "I'm not going to kiss him," she told her, knowing full well that she wouldn't believe her. "Oh, um. I almost told Bellamy I was in love with him last night. Okay, see you later!"

" _Clarke_!"

***

Paddleboating was weird and she couldn't get the hang of it at _all_ , so the laughter coming from them was genuine.

"Just – pedal at the same time I am!" And Bellamy was _terrible_ at advising her.

"I _am_! Look, you have longer legs than I do, not by much –"

"Fair."

"But you still do! And – stop pedaling!"

"Just let me do the work!"

"Wait, wait, go this way – we're gonna crash – okay, I think I got it now." She clutched the buckles of the lifejacket and breathed out. They made it look so easy.

"You're really making this harder than it is," Bellamy said, amused.

"Not everyone can be as good at everything as you are," she shot back, focusing on pedaling at the same speed as Bellamy was. She ignored the camera that was attached to the front of the paddleboat and the two other paddleboats on the lake with the camera guys in it. The sun felt good on her skin and she was having fun.

Then she remembered they had a script to follow.

"I didn't, I didn't know you were a fan of paddleboating."

"I've been told it would fun." He veered off script. "I just didn't know you'd be so bad at it. No one's going to be calling you the ace of the team anymore, are they?"

She knocked into his shoulder. "I'm getting better! See?" Speeding up the pedaling, she showed him. "I could be a professional paddleboater."

"That doesn't exist."

"They have to! They have Olympic events for everything!"

"You want to be an Olympic paddleboater now?" He sped up a little. "I'm not paddleboating with you."

"I didn't say I wanted _you_ to do it with me. I'll find someone who _actually_ appreciates my talent."

Bellamy made a face at her and sped up even more, which meant she had to keep pace with him, and soon, it was just a contest of who could pedal faster without running into the side, or the other cameramen, or the statue in the middle of the lake.

"CUT!" One of the other boats came near with the director in the front. "This is really great material but can we get back to the script before we get off track?"

Clarke flushed and nodded, halting her pedaling and straightening up. She was at work.

"Fine," Bellamy said, pedaling off into the other direction.

She struggled to remember where she was in the script before _action!_ was called. Bellamy was muttering beside her, tightening the straps to his life jacket.

Something about the day, something about not believing this was happening – it never really struck her how bad at dialogue the scripts were until now – something about how far they had come since they met. She remembered their conversation last night. She remembered how close she was to confessing her feelings. She looked out at the lake, where she was in the middle of a scripted date for her fake loveline.

"No," she said, quietly, until she repeated it again, louder this time, looking over at Bellamy who was confused by her outburst. "I can't do this."

"Clarke?" The other boats had stopped too and then she saw that she was trying to stand up, Bellamy's hand on her wrist the only thing keeping her from toppling over. "Hold on. Can we break for ten?" He shouted at the others, and there was a flurry of rearranging but they stopped. She was sitting down now and knew she had to say it.

"I'm in love with you," she said, almost desperately, her left hand over his as she faced him. She needed him to know it before she had to keep pretending it was just pretend. "I thought I could be okay with this and just, I don't know, live vicariously this way, but I can't, and it just makes me wish it was the real thing and –"

"Me too."

It was relief she heard in his voice. "You… too?"

"I'm in love with you too, I wanted it to be real too. I thought maybe, maybe I could find a way to tell you after all this, but I couldn't do it, and I don't want this to be the only date we ever have," he said, the same note of desperation evident in his words. Her heart was pounding fast and she wanted to cry a little, out of happiness, out of realization, and she let out of a little laugh, that bubbled into an actual laugh, and she had to clap her hand over her mouth to contain it. Bellamy was grinning at her now, with the sun gleaming behind him, and he had never looked more beautiful than in this moment. In love with her.

She was the one who leaned forward, kissing him softly, tentatively at first, because she still wasn't certain this was happening. He laughed against her mouth and pulled her closer, kissed her back. The boat lurched forward then and they broke apart, but she couldn't take her eyes off his mouth.

"Raincheck?" He asked.

She stole a quick kiss. "Including the Sydney beach trip?"

"I guess I did make a promise."

"I'd be okay with dinner and a movie too."

"That's not very romantic."

"Good thing I'm not the self professed romantic."

Bellamy was cut off from a response when a boat paddled next to them, Monty at the front this time. "I guess we can go ahead and finish this now?" But his grin was teasing and she nodded, embarrassed at how much production she'd turned this into.

Then again, she thought, as she looked over at Bellamy and found him looking back at her, it was definitely worth it.

***

She regretted the big to-do about it twenty minutes later, when they were in Callie's makeshift office area (the pavilion by the north side of the entrance) being given a lecture about not wasting filming time, about how it would've been "nice if you had done all this before we had to sell a fake romance" but "it probably wouldn't be that much of a problem" and "maybe you could lay low for a bit until the episode airs?" It didn't _seem_ like Callie objected to them being together, but in all honesty, Clarke's mind was elsewhere. She was bristling with energy, with the fact that she could make out with Bellamy now but _wasn't_ , and as soon as they were told they could go (and to "talk to HR asap, please!"), she took his hand and pulled him along, ignoring everyone trying to talk to them at once.

"Ten minutes!" she called over her shoulder and once they were in her trailer, she pushed Bellamy up against the door, pulling him down for a real kiss, tangling her fingers into his curls, letting him press kisses along her jaw, along her neck, against her collarbone.

"This is what you brought me back here for? I feel cheap, Clarke," but he wasn't stopping and she was glad. "We haven't even gone on our date yet."

"I've waited like _years_ for this," she said, breath hitching as he found a sensitive spot and paused. " _Bellamy_."

A quick grin and he was kissing her again, leaving her breathless, and _this_ was what she had been missing out on this whole time, pretending she was fine with leaving their relationship was it was. She was an idiot. "How long?" he asked, a little short of breath himself.

"When you helped me move in."

That took him by surprise. Blinking at her, he said, incredulously, "That was two years ago."

"I said years," she said defensively. "I thought it was just going to be a harmless crush and then it wasn't. And then we got busy and we were dating other people at different times and I didn't think you liked me that way and –"

He kissed her again.

"When I visited you on set. You were doing a scene and when it was over, you saw me and you just had the biggest smile and that was when I realized how much I liked you. Probably before then too. That was just the moment for me."

It had been a hard scene, made worse because Titus had been yelling at her that morning about the Lexa thing – it was clear whose side he was on – and she'd been so defeated. She'd forgotten that Bellamy was supposed to visit that day, an invitation that was given as an offhand remark. She remembered that once she saw him, everything felt a lot better.

Clarke wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight, laying her head against his chest. He rubbed her back soothingly. "Was that the wrong thing to say?" he asked against her hair.

"No," she said, happy. "It was really good."

***

Before he opened the door, Bellamy turned around and gestured outside. "You know they're going to be insufferable, right?"

"Who? Our friends, the writers, the media, or Twitter?" She thought about it for a second before adding on, "And my mom!"

"All of the above."

"Are you…" She frowned, her hand going limp in his. "Regretting it?"

"No," he answered immediately, sure and easy, fingers tangling with hers again. "I told you I give good parent, right?"

Clarke believed that, but she also knew Abby Griffin would be hard to break down. It'd be fun to watch, at least. "What about the others?"

He kissed her. "I think we can take them."

***

 

**THURSDAY COUPLE DOWN UNDER**

Caris Vallan, January 7, 2017

_[left, Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin, stars of American variety show, Running Man, spotted enjoying the scenic sights of Sydney Harbor; right, Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin, all smiles as they arrive at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport.]_

Although Bellamy Blake and Clarke Griffin have been private about their relationship since they confirmed it last June, they were all smiles as they walked hand in hand when they landed in Sydney yesterday, on their way to enjoy a nice holiday away from the snow back home. They were seen today enjoying Sydney Harbor's scenic views.

The pair, who have just finished filming the fifth season of _Running Man_ , had long been rumored to be dating, partly due to strong fan support for the couple on the show. However, it wasn't until they were spotted having dinner at a restaurant by a couple of lucky fans, who then asked if they were together, that they admitted it. Since then, the Thursday Couple has been low-key about their romance, with only a few public appearances together and sightings mainly reported through social media. (See a timeline of the Thursday Couple romance.)

Last month, Clarke uploaded a sneaky picture on her Instagram which showed Bellamy playing with a puppy. She captioned it, _he's so cute! And so is Bellamy, I guess._

How adorable!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! I'm bestivals on tumblr!
> 
> ps. kudos to anyone who caught the kdrama references


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